Mrs. GREEN. Thank you very much, Mr. Secretary. Secretary GOLDBERG. Thank you, and I appreciate very much this opportunity to appear before you.

Mrs. GREEN. Congressman Santangelo of New York has been waiting in the room and listening to the testimony of the Secretary. Mr. Santangelo, we are very pleased to note your interest in this legislation.

STATEMENT OF HON. ALFRED E. SANTANGELO, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NEW YORK

Mr. SANTANGELO. Thank you, Madam Chairman.

Mrs. GREEN. We are anxious to hear the comments of one of the members of the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. SANTANGELO. I am very pleased to come before you and give you the benefit of my views on this very important problem of juvenile delinquency.

I would to state first a little background. In 1955, I was one of the nine members of the temporary commission on youth and juvenile delinquency which made an exhaustive study of the problem of juvenile delinquency in the State of New York.

My colleague from New York, Senator Javits, was a member of that commission as were other persons from the State legislature and public officials. We examined the problem, not only in the major cities but throughout the rural areas of the State of New York. We made certain recommendations to the State legislature, some of which were adopted and which have been a basis of activity in the State of New York in trying to solve this growing problem of juvenile delinquency. The permanent youth commission bears my name and so does the parental responsibility statute.

I want to state at the outset I favor your proposal of H.R. 7178 which, I think, is one method to combat this problem.

However, the solution is not in any one particular measure or approach but the solution has a variety of facets and ranges from the home to social services and community activities. There is no doubt about it because you must have coordination between the Federal Government providing funds to implement State agencies and institutional operations in localities. The types of juvenile delinquency in cities differs from types found in rural communities.

I was interested to hear the comments of the Secretary of Labor with respect to the problems of New York City and with many of his statements I agreed. However, if the committee would so wish, I would like to submit the 34 recommendations which the New York State Temporary Commission on Youth and Delinquency made at the time of its study.

Many of the recommendations in that report are similar to the recommendations which you have made in your bill.

I also cosponsored a measure with the same technique and same approach, but not in the same terms in dollars as you have. I think a start must be had and we must coordinate not only Federal activities in this field but must also provide for those States and localities and those institutions the funds necessary in order to promote programs which train young men and women to handle this problem.

One thing evolved from the study and that was that the problem of juvenile delinquency was based upon moral grounds.

If I may, I would like to read one of the statements made by the committee or work group on church and youth during the statewide conference we had in Albany at the termination of our hearings. I think this gives the basic philosophy behind the approach to the solution to this problem, and then I would like after that to discuss with you my measure on the parental responsibility statute which I think is a facet we should explore.

I quote:

We reaffirm that basically any solution of the problem of juvenile delinquency is the recognition that all life comes from God. Consequent to this fact, we acknowledge the dependence of man upon God for moral welfare and spiritual fulfillment. In the man-to-God and man-to-man relationship, the Ten Commandments serve as the basic criteria of human conduct. When interpersonal relationships are governed by this code of behavior, man's moral judgments are sound and enduring, and as human dignity and Godgiven rights are secured this basic philosophy provides the imperative for an act of concern for the total welfare of troubled youth in our society.

I believe that in this problem we can spend millions of dollarsMrs. GREEN. May I interrupt you?

Mr. SANTANGELO. Yes.

Mrs. GREEN. Regarding the 34 recommendations to which you referred to a moment ago, from what did they arise?

Mr. SANTANGELO. They are part of the report and they come subsequently in the report. If it is all right with the committee, I would like to submit those recommendations to you.

Mrs. GREEN. I wondered if you wanted them in the record.

Mr. SANTANGELO. I think at this point it would be very appropriate to have them in the record.

Mrs. GREEN. Without objection, those recommendations will be placed in the record at this point.

Mr. SANTANGELO. Thank you, Madam Chairman.

(The material follows:)

RECOMMENDATION OF THE COMMISSION

GENERAL STATEMENT

The broad nature of youthful delinquency as a moral and social problem and the commission's own belief that Government action must support and supplement the primary efforts of home, church, synagogue and voluntary programs in finding its remedy have both served to place limits upon the commission's recommendations. There is no miracle in government action that can produce good citizens; there is no legislative blueprint that can prescribe for people how to raise their children or organize their society to meet all the spiritual and material needs of those children. It is only possible to point out some of the ways in which the present programs and legal machinery of our State and its communities, both urban and rural, might be better adapted to meet the needs reflected in the problem of youthful delinquency.

The commission has, however, through the extended series of hearings and the statewide conference described earlier in this report, endeavored to see the problem in its broadest terms and to review all the proposals which have been presented to it for measures to deal with this problem. Literally hundreds of such proposals were placed before the commission, thus supporting our belief that youthful delinquency is a problem that cuts across the total fabric of social organization and requires for its solution the cooperation of every home, every organized group, every profession, every function of society, and every governmental agency. The commission has, in turn, undertaken to review, sift, and organize these hundreds of recommendations in terms of what appear to be

the primary areas of governmental responsibility and hence the first concern of this commission in developing a program for the State.

In reviewing the testimony of the 11 regional hearings and the reports of the 13 special work groups at the statewide conference, the commission has been impressed by the fact that these processes of citizenship produced an encyclopedic and invaluable source of inspiration, information, guidance, and stimulation on the total youthful delinquency problem. The commission feels that this material should be available to the people of the state and should serve all groups for years to come in furthering the total community effort to eradicate this social evil. The commission is, therefore, proposing a follow-up document, which will constitute a source book and will contain extensive excerpts from the hearings, the full text of the 13 work group reports from the statewide conference, and other pertinent material concerning the work of the commission. This source book is intended to reflect the commission's gratitude and indebtedness to the many hundreds of people who gave so generously of their time and ideas in this common searching for solutions to our common problem of delinquency. The fact that the commission has of necessity selected for its own official report only those recommendations that seemed to bear directly on the problem of the public leadership and responsibility in no way reflects a lack of enthusiasm for the many inspiring and inspired recommendations from which these few have been selected.

The commission has grouped its recommendations under four headings that cover the four major areas of governmental responsibility in dealing with this problem: A. Strengthened State Leadership; B. Preventive Community Services for Children and Youth; C. Safeguarding The Child and Society; and D. Improved Measures to Deal with Delinquency Among Youth. The commission's objectives and each of its recommendations within these four areas of responsibility are discussed in the sections that follow. Those recommendations that involve changes in the State statute are also discussed in terms of their legal implications in V. Legislative Revision section of this report. Suggested draft legislation will be found in appendixes A, B, C, D and E, therein.

A. STRENGTHENED STATE LEADERSHIP

The commission recognizes that state government, while it cannot alone solve a social problem of such broad dimensions and deeply rooted causes, nevertheless has a positive moral and social obligation to (a) mobilize the full resources of its own instrumentalities; (b) give stimulation and aid to its own political subdivisions; and (c) extend leadership to all its citizens in seeking solutions to a problem that at once threatens the welfare of its young people and undermines the law and order on which other social values depend. The work of this temporary commission, useful as we hope it has been in focusing attention on the problem and in serving as a sounding board for a broad cross section of the citizens of the State, cannot in any way replace this continuing public responsibility. The commission submits the following recommendations to assure continuing State leadership with respect to these problems, properly implemented to aid in their solution. A proposed statute and more extended comment embodying these recommendations appear in the Legislative Revision section, appendix A, post. Allocation of funds to localities, as well as manner of appointment and compensation of members of the new youth commission have been left to appropriate legislation.

1. The commission recommends making permanent the present temporary State youth commission on a completely reconstituted basis.

A temporary youth commission has been in existence in this State for a decade. It consists of a chairman appointed by the Governor and seven State department heads or officers. The commission recommends a permanent State youth commission consisting of a chairman and fourth other members, none of whom shall be holders of other public office in the State. Executive and administrative functions are to be vested in a chairman. The members are to be designated initially for staggered terms and all vacanices are to be filled by appointments for 5 years.

2. The commission recommends expanded powers, duties and areas of operation for the new youth commission.

The commission proposes integration of existing functions under the major groupings of (a) powers and duties including cooperation with other agencies; (b) research, analyses and studies; (c) recommendation of legislative and ad

ministrative changes; (d) management of State aid, youth bureaus, recreation and youth-serving projects, and other youth programs.

Additional powers and duties would include statistical coordination, a research unit on methods of rehabilitation and prevention, setting up programs of personnel training and public education, and establishing demonstration projects for operation at the neighborhood level.

These powers should also include advisory policy guidance and recommendations by the commission in the fields of correction, probation and parole.

The area of operation of the new commission would be broadened from the present limited requirement for participation of defined "municipality" to that of the more expansive "locality," which would include, in addition, a school district and, under prescribed conditions, a district corporation such as a park district or other tax levying public corporation or civil division of the State. 3. The commission recommends creation of an interdepartmental advisory body for coordination of State governmental programs.

At present, the youth commission includes heads or representatives of seven State agencies. It is proposed that these be retained and supplemented by the heads of two additional departments-law and police-in a separate advisory body. This body would comprise the attorney general, commissioners of correction, education, health, mental hygiene, social welfare, the industrial commissioner and the superintendent of State police. The chairman of the new youth commission would be ex officio a member and chairman of this body. The primary functions of this group would be to consider and recommend to the youth commission worthwhile proposals and to coordinate and execute programs involving governmental action on an interdepartmental statewide basis.

4. The commission recommends creation of a lay advisory board comprising cross-section representation of the community.

An advisory board to the new youth commission consisting of from 12 to 24 members is recommended by the commission. Such a body would be sufficiently large to provide representation of diverse religious, ethnic, geographic, political and social viewpoints. Its membership would be drawn from outstanding persons in the fields of religion, social welfare, prevention of delinquency, health, mental hygiene, education and rehabilitation. To assure continuity, initial appointments would be on a staggered basis. Such group would consider and recommend programs of action to the new youth commission.

B. PREVENTIVE COMMUNITY SERVICES FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH

The commission recognizes that the best prevention for delinquency among youth is a society in which home, church or synagogue, school and community agencies-both public and voluntary-combine to provide an environment that assures to all children and young people the means of meeting the needs, both spiritual and material, that are basic to their healthy growth toward responsible maturity. It, therefore, recommends that the programs of the State and its political subdivisions be strengthened in the directions outlined below.

5. The programs of the schools should be strengthened to assure adequate educational and auxiliary services to all children, especially those with special needs.

In our society the school is the social institution that reaches virtually all children. It is, therefore, a major factor not only in the child's development but in the prevention of delinquent behavior. The educational function of the school needs to be strengthened in all possible ways: through more and better qualified teachers, smaller classes, more adequate physical plant and recreational facilities, and a wide variety of auxiliary services. The school should be equipped not only to meet all practical types of educational need but to identify and seek help for other unmet needs that may prevent or distort the growth toward maturity of individual students. The child who is beginning to show serious personality problems can often be spotted first in the schools and referred to child guidance or mental hygiene services. The child who is mentally retarded needs special training if he is not to become discouraged, confused, and rebellious. The child who shows evidence in school of parental neglect or economic deprivation can be referred to appropriate welfare agencies. The school health program can help to identify handicapping physical defects or other health problems with a view to their remedy by community health agencies. The shy or isolated child can be encouraged at school to join in community youth programs. Truancy itself is often an important early symptom of per

sonal and social maladjustments that may lead to more serious antisocial behavior. It is important that all schools, including those in rural areas, have available to them the services of personnel such as attendance officers, school social workers, school nurses, psychologists, and others skilled in the identification and handling of these special problems so that the full resources of the community may be brought to bear on their solution. The commission further recognizes that the schools, if they are to fulfill their obligation to young people, must give support to the moral element in character development. It endorses the present "released time" program of the State to assure to each pupil religious instruction in his own faith.

6. The schools should assume a more active role in parent education, both in their adult education programs and with respect to the parents of their young pupils, and should increasingly serve as centers for community programs.

Wise and understanding parental guidance for all children is the starting point of virtually any program for good character development and the prevention of delinquency. The schools and other community agencies can support and supplement the home in meeting the growth needs of young people but they can never take its place. We, therefore, feel it is a prime obligation of our educational system to extend to parents the benefits of all modern knowledge concerning the developmental needs of children and opportunities for group discussion concerning their problems and the best ways of meeting them. The school can and should serve as a center of activities for families and individuals at all age levels in order to strengthen the atmosphere of cultural and community solidarity which children need for their growth.

7. The training of teachers in the State should include more emphasis on mental hygiene.

If the schools are to make their fullest contribution to the prevention of delinquency among youth and the early detection of those special problems of individual children that might lead to delinquency, it is important that teachers understand the basic principles of mental hygiene. The commission urges that the State teachers colleges stress such courses in their curricula, that the present cooperative arrangement between the Department of Education and the Mental Health Commission providing an inservice training program in this field for present teachers be emphasized and expanded, and that the Department of Mental Hygiene also give attention to this problem.

8. The public and voluntary child welfare programs of the State should be improved and extended in order to (1) strengthen the home, (2) protect children against parental or other neglect or abuse, (3) assure to them social services and other services, such as homemaker services, needed to keep the family together, and (4) provide for those children who require it suitable foster home or adoptive placement. The procedures and requirements for foster home placement and adoption should be simplified to the extent that the spiritual and material interests of the child permit.

Most potential situations of delinquency begin in the home. Child welfare services constitute a major method of strengthening the home environment of the child in times or situations of crisis or weakness and of providing a substitute home environment when that becomes necessary. Frequently child welfare services can support a shaky home situation and thus prevent the break-up of the family, generally recognized as a major factor in delinquency. In times of temporary family crisis, such as the illness of the mother, child welfare workers can make arrangements for the children either through relatives, visiting homemaker service, or temporary placement. In situations where it is either impossible or undesirable for the child to remain in his own home, foster care with another family becomes a major factor in safeguarding the child's welfare. There is special need at the present time to broaden the availability of foster homes possibly through the payment of higher board rates-for children with special physical or emotional needs and for children of minority groups. With respect to adoption and foster care, the commission urges that the Department of Social Welfare study the problems of adoption and foster care and make recommendations to the legislature so that procedures and requirements can be simplified insofar as the interests of the child and its natural, adoptive or foster parents permit.

9. The provision of day-care programs for children who lack home care during the day because their mothers are working or absent from the home for other reasons, such as illness, is recognized as a factor in the prevention of delinquency and hence a responsibility of society.